I like using threads and thread queues You can give each child thread its own instruction queue to assign it tasks or have children picking tasks up off a common jobs to be done queue (depends how specialist your children are). The parent can be signalled results back through a common queue for all children. Children can also post heartbeat messages to this queue so you know if one is hanging/dead.

POE may be worth a look. I had a similar job to do a couple of years ago and POE looked ideal but management refused installation of any (non-core)modules, yawn, so I never got to really use it. Management actualy refused any open source but had tons coded in Perl, go figure.

Cheers,
R.

Pereant, qui ante nos nostra dixerunt!

In reply to Re: How to tell a child what to do? by Random_Walk
in thread How to tell a child what to do? by Eyck

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